Suspect linked to Harrington death

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Forensic evidence has linked the disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington to an unsolved 2005 abduction and sexual assault in Fairfax, according to Virginia State Police.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect in the Fairfax case based on a composite sketch of the man created from the victim’s description.
Forensic evidence recovered during the course of the Harrington investigation confirmed the link to the City of Fairfax assault, according to police.
In that case, a 26-year-old Fairfax woman was abducted and sexually assaulted while walking home from a grocery store. According to information on the wanted poster developed in the case, the victim was grabbed from behind, then carried to a park and pool area, where she was sexually assaulted. The suspect fled on foot.
State police have released the &#34;wanted&#34; poster bearing the suspect sketch in hopes someone will recognize him. However, authorities acknowledge the suspect may have changed his appearance over the course of the past five years.
The suspect is believed to be a 30- to 40-year-old black male of medium build and around six feet tall. He had black hair with a beard and mustache in 2005.
Harrington, 20, of Roanoke, went missing from the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville Oct. 17 after leaving a Metallica concert and not being able to get back inside the coliseum where it was being held. Her remains were discovered Jan. 26 by the landowner of Anchorage Farm in southern Albemarle County.
The skeletal remains were located in a field on the 700-acre property. Police have said the body was in an area that suggests the suspect had a familiarity with the farm.
Anyone having information about the man featured in the wanted poster is encouraged to contact City of Fairfax Police Detective Mike Boone at (703) 385-7959. Anyone wishing to provide information in the Harrington case is encouraged to call Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers at (434) 977-4000 or Virginia State Police at (434) 352-3467 or email State Police at bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.
A reward of $150,041 is still available for anyone with information that leads to a resolution of the Harrington crime.